Soccer Balls
by Kyoru-KiTTy-ArTist
Summary: When Kagome comes from her time with a soccer ball, Inuyasha and the gang are ready to play. But chaotic events follow the group when the realization of Kagome being a really great player arises. Can they make it through one simple soccer game? IxK MxS :P


Finally! I FINALLY finished this piece! It's only a oneshot, but it was 8 pages on Word...and i started writing it during the Ferbuary Break. Inuyasha and Kagome!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own the plot and Kagome's socccer ball!

* * *

"What's that?" Inuyasha pointed to the blue and white ball under Kagome's arm. Throwing her big, yellow bag over the side of the well, Kagome climbed up and over. She held the ball in both hands.

"This," she tossed the ball in the air, "is called a soccer ball, Inuyasha. You use this to play soccer."

"What's soccer?" Inuyasha asked the predictable question, taking the ball in his hands and examining it.

"It's a sport, a game you play."

"How do ya play?" Inuyasha dropped the ball and stepped on it, leaning his foot on top.

"Well, there's too teams and each team is trying to get the ball into the opposing teams goal." Kagome dug into her bag, and took out four orange cones. She walked to one side of the grassy plain and set down the cones, just a bit of distance between them. She went to the other side of the field and put the other cones down.

She turned back to Inuyasha, hands on her hips. "These are the goals, now we just need teams," She smiled. "Let's go get Miroku and Sango."

"What about the little brat?" Inuyasha scoffed, following her to Kaede's village.

"I'm afraid if he plays with us, he'll get hurt. I know you guys can sometimes get a little rough and competitive…" Kagome said over her shoulder.

"We don't get that competitive!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Of course, Lady Kagome," Miroku smiled. Sango and I would love to accompany you and Inuyasha in a game of soccer."

"You'll just need to explain the rules," Sango said from next to Miroku.

"Uh-huh! Of course! C'mon!" Kagome nodded and grabbed Inuyasha's hand pulling him out of the hut. Sango, Shippo, Miroku and Kirara followed.

Eager to get started, Kagome explained the rules, in which everyone understood. The Hiraikotsu, Miroku's trusty staff, Kirara, and Shippo sat in the roots of the Sacred Tree. Shippo was clapping his hands wildly as the four in front of him faced each other, bending their knees a little. Miroku and Sango were one team, and Inuyasha and Kagome were on the other.

"I don't really know how I'm going to do this in my sandals," Miroku said looking down at his feet.

"Then take 'em off, monk! I wanna start the game!" Inuyasha snarled.

Miroku kicked them off, flinging them towards the Sacred Tree. One flew past Shippo's head, nearly missing his ponytail, and he ducked from shock. He remained close to the ground for a second, then popped back up from his hiding place and was about to yell at Miroku. Suddenly, the other sandal hit him square in the nose and Shippo fell back, unconscious.

"Heh. Nice!" Inuyasha smirked.

"Oops…" Miroku pretended to be innocent and turned to face Inuyasha with a smart aleck grin on his face.

"Shippo are you alright?" Kagome called to him in panic.

A shaky thumbs up emerged from the visible roots on the Tree and Kagome sighed. "I told you, you guys are way too rough…" she mumbled.

"Okay," Kagome pulled the ball back with the bottom of her foot and kicked it up lightly. She balanced it on the top of her ankle and bounced it once, while the others watched in awe. She then kicked it high above their heads.

"Go!"

Inuyasha leapt into the air and grabbed the ball with his hands.

"Inuyasha! SIT!"

And down, face first into the dirt, he went.

"What the hell was that for?!?" Inuyasha shouted once the spell wore off, spitting out contents of dirt from his mouth.

"Kimi wo BAKA! You can use any part of your body to hit or kick the ball except your hands or arms." Kagome walked over to Inuyasha, arms crossed.

"Any part?" Miroku mischievously grinned, his finger on his chin.

"Hentai!" Sango slapped him.

Kagome placed the ball back in the middle of the field. "Kay, let's start again…" She passed the ball to Inuyasha's feet. He stared at it for a second, and then reared his leg far back like a slingshot ready to be released. He swung his leg forward and blasted the ball off the Earth, crashing into the high branches of the Sacred Tree. The ball fell, as did one of the branches, which had cracked from the ball's impact, and both fell down back to earth.

"AAAAAAGH!!!!!" Shippo and Kirara dodged out of the way just in time as the branch crashed to their original sitting spot, a mist of dust and dirt hazing around the area where the branch had met the ground.

Shippo poked his head out from behind the Tree. "STOP TRYING TO KILL US!!!!!"

Inuyasha ran over to the slightly deflated ball, and was about to swing another blow, when Kagome pleaded, "Easy, Inuyasha. Easy little kicks."

Inuyasha stopped in mid-swing and gave the ball a little knock of the side of his foot. It rolled about a foot and then stopped, resting immovable in the grass.

Inuyasha scowled and whipped his head around to Kagome. "How're you supposed to play like that??" he barked.

Out of nowhere, Miroku came running up to the ball and slowly started dribbling it. "I got it! I got it!"

"Miroku, you're going the wrong way!" Sango called, exasperated.

He froze, turned around and dribbled slowly but surely the other way. Inuyasha, who was watching Miroku attempt to master the skill of dribbling, soon became uninterested and stuck out his foot. Miroku's foot got caught on it, and he tripped, meeting the ground very fast just as the branch from before had. Inuyasha laughed and passed the ball towards Kagome, who dribbled it forward.

Soon, she was face to face with Sango, had her green skirt tied up to her lower thighs so she could run better. She had already slapped Miroku twice; once for looking, and twice for an attempt for a grope, while Inuyasha had smacked that ball into the Sacred Tree.

Sango lunged towards Kagome, but Kagome moved to her left swiftly, leaning her shoulder into it. When Sango leaned the same way, Kagome kicked the ball with her other foot and ran the opposite way, keeping the ball in front of her, and leaving poor Sango in a confused and unbalanced position.

Kagome tapped the ball in the goal. "One, point for me and Inuyasha!"

"Wow! Kagome, that was cool!" Shippo called out.

"Yes, Lady, Kagome, what a nice skill you have!" Miroku stated, dusting himself off from his pathetic fall.

"Yes, that was most, how you say, 'awesome!'" Sango also praised her.

Kagome blushed, "Nah, it was nothing really! Just an easy shoulder-fake!"

Sango smiled, "No, really! I had no clue what happened back there!"

"Inuyasha, don't you have anything to say to your teammate who just scored an amazing goal?" Miroku jerked his head towards Inuyasha, who was just walking to them, his arms tucked in his haori sleeves.

Inuyasha lifted a hand, index finger straight up, half-closed his eyes and spun his finger around in a circular motion. "Whooo," He replied to Miroku's comment, unenthusiastically. "C'mon! Let's keep going!"

The ball was set down in the middle of the field again and Kagome shouted, "GO!"

Inuyasha ran for the ball and got it. He dribbled towards the other goal, a triumphant grin on his face. Miroku ran close behind. Once Inuyasha had mad it close to the Sacred Tree, Miroku slid the prayer beads off his right arm.

"WIND TUNNEL!!!!!"

In shock, Inuyasha grabbed hold of the trunk of the Sacred Tree, while Shippo held onto a branch, resisting the force of the monk's kazaana. The ball flew towards Miroku and he made his hand a fist, and wrapped the beads around his arm once more. The ball bounced lightly off his chest, and Miroku turned, dribbling in the opposite direction, 'tee-heeing' all the way.

"Hey, no fair!!! Ya can't use your hands, monk!" Inuyasha shouted, still clutching the Tree.

Kagome and Sango were doubled over in laughter, and Miroku eventually got to the goal, and hit the ball with his foot; it rebounded off one of the cones, but went in nonetheless.

"Yea!" Miroku punched a fist to the air. "I got a goal! I got a goal!" Miroku ran over to a red-faced Sango and picked her up in his arms in glee.

Inuyasha ran over to Kagome, who was wiping the happy tears that had leaked from her eyes. And she even giggled at the sight of his perplexed and frustrated face.

He scowled, "Kagome, why didn't you stop him?!?!" Inuyasha threw a hand in the air. "You could have **easily** done that!"

"Why would you think it would be easy for me?" Kagome asked, still smiling.

"'Cause, you're the greatest at this game! And you could… um…" Inuyasha's cheeks grew pink, realizing he had greatly complimented her.

Kagome didn't mind. "Thanks, Inuyasha. But, you gotta admit, you hanging onto the Sacred Tree for dear life **was** pretty funny." Kagome gave a laugh just thinking about the expression on his face.

Inuyasha folded his arms and made his trademark scowl. "Oh, c'mon!" Kagome shoved his shoulder. "You, tree-hugger! It was probably the only time you wanted to be stuck to the Sacred Tree."

And at that, even Inuyasha cracked a small smile.

Miroku was swinging Sango in the air, doing their little victory dance, when Inuyasha hollered to them, "Enough, you lovebirds! It was only one goal! We'll get it back! Let's keep playing!"

Both Miroku and Sango blushed. He put her down and she slapped his face.

"Ow! Sango, what was that for?" Miroku held his hand-printed cheek.

Sango turned to him, still red in the face, and said, "Be-because you're a pervert!"

"Was I just being one?"

"No…"

"Then, why the slap?"

"Because you were thinking of doing something perverted!"

"…No I wasn't!"

Sango looked at Miroku. She put her face close to his; eyes slightly squinted, their noses almost touching. She looked into his eyes. "You were." She stated.

"No, I wasn't Sango!" Miroku protested again.

"Fine!" Sango turned quickly and strut back to the middle of the field by Kagome and Inuyasha. "Then, I'm sorry."

Miroku paused, felt a smile coming, and let it come. It spread across his face, and he ran towards the gang.

"GO!"

Sango got the ball this time, and dribbled a little, then passed it to Miroku. He kicked it around a bit, then drew his leg back far and kicked the ball hard. Within two seconds, the ball flew in the air and then decided to meet Inuyasha's lower half, crushing his manhood.

"Agh!!" Inuyasha fell to his knees, clutching the source of the pain, his face turning red.

"Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!" Let's just say Miroku had a little trouble keeping a straight face.

He walked over to Inuyasha and Kagome (she was there to see if Inuyasha was alright), still laughing and leaned his elbow on Inuyasha's shoulder for support.

Inuyasha was wheezing, ignoring Kagome's words of concern, and was seeing red. He shakily took the sheath of the Tessaiga and jammed the end of it into Miroku's you-know-where. So, both men were on the ground with identical bruises.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.

"He…he started it!"

"N-not purposefully!"

"Y-yea, like I'm g-gonna believe that!"

Moving on, once the boys were as good as they could get, Kagome restarted the game with a booming cry, "GO!"

The ball was kicked in the air and Inuyasha jumped high so he was eye level. He hit the ball with his head; like Kagome had told him to do and the ball soared through the air and back down to the ground.

"Hm." Inuyasha brought his hand to his forehead. Floating back down to the ground, he was completely unaware that Miroku was slowly dribbling it towards their goal. He walked over to Kagome and stuck his face in hers.

"I-Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, am I bleeding? It feels like it's burning," He usually wasn't one to complain, but whatever. He liked the attention Kagome gave him when he was injured.

Kagome looked up at his forehead. It wasn't bleeding but his forehead was bright red. It even had an almost invisible imprint of the lines on the ball. She didn't even laugh at the sight of it, which Inuyasha had half-expected her to do. She stared at it, and then touched it lightly with her fingers.

"Uh…ow!" Inuyasha said, pulling her hand down from his face.

"I just have to put something on it. Shippo," Kagome called to the kit, "can you get the little white box out of my bag?"

"Kay," Shippo jumped into the backpack and came out with the First Aid Kit. He tossed it to Kagome, and she opened it.

"Yea, another goal!"

"Miroku…"

"Thanks Shippo." She found an ice pack and hit it a few times with her hands to make it cold. "Here…" she pressed it on his forehead. "Hold it there."

"It's cold!"

"You'll live."

"How am I gonna hold this while I run?"

"You're not going to. You're going to have to wait on the side with Shippo."

"There's no way in Hell."

"You're going, or would you rather just SI-"

"Okay! Okay, but what are you gonna do?"

"I'll be fine by myself. You said I could do it easily anyway," Kagome smiled at Inuyasha, squeezing his hand. "And remember, we're just playing for fun, so nothing bad is gonna happen."

Inuyasha hesitated. Then he nodded. He went to go sit by Shippo and plopped down on a root.

"Don't look so glum, Inuyasha. It's not like Miroku's gonna have time to grope Kagome, him getting the ball and all…" Shippo said.

"He's gonna WHAT?" Inuyasha jumped up on his feet.

Shippo sighed. "I think you've got selective hearing…"

* * *

The game started again. Kagome kept using her skills to get around Miroku and Sango. She kicked it in the goal and gave a victory jump. "Yea! Now we're tied!"

Kagome was pressured by both Miroku and Sango. This required one difficult trick she had only attempted a couple of times. A maridonna. She tapped t6he ball forward, in front of her once again. But she didn't see, she had left the First Aid Kit out… right there lying innocently in the grass.

Kagome jumped slightly in the around, twirling around to face the other direction, leaving her foot lightly on top of the ball. But when he other foot came down o land Kagome tripped over the kit and fell to the ground in an awkward position, her legs twisted. She felt something crack, and then came the pain.

"Kagome!"

"Kagome-chan!"

"Lady Kagome!"

"KAGOMEEEEE!!!!" (Can you guess who Inuyasha was?)

The hanyou dropped the ice pack (it hit Shippo on the head and he collapsed against the tree) and ran over to Kagome's fallen form. He helped her sit up a little, his hand supporting her back. "Kagome, are you alright?"

Kagome bit her lip. Pain was spreading throughout her ankle. She couldn't talk, the pain was so bad. If she opened her mouth, she'd burst out crying. But she didn't want to. It made her seem weak; weak after just a silly fall. But as the pain grew she felt maybe it wasn't so silly…

"Kagome, answer me!" Inuyasha was disgusted with himself as it was. If he hadn't gone whining to her about hitting his head with the ball (he had only wanted the little attention) she wouldn't have gotten out the kit. And then if he hadn't complained about the ice pack, then Kagome would've remembered to put the kit away. He looked at her face; she was trying not to look at him. He smelled fear and shame.

Kagome was scared? She was ashamed of herself? "For what?" Inuyasha spoke aloud.

Everyone looked at him questioningly. He shook his head. He looked back at Kagome, "What hurts?"

"She still didn't look at him. She kept on biting her bottom lip, and looked instead to her right ankle.

"Mm." Inuyasha understood, and gingerly placed his hand under her knew and hoisted her up. He yelled to Shippo, who was just coming to, "Hey runt, throw me that ice thingy!"

Shippo tossed it. Inuyasha leaned over to the side a little and caught the ice pack in his mouth.

He walked slowly to Kaede's hut not far away; leaving the others to…something… they'd figure it out. Kagome silently took the ice pack from his mouth and he mumbled a soft thanks.

* * *

They went right through the door and into one of the tiny rooms. He down her down gently on the futon and plopped down with his legs crossed in front of her. He held out his hand, and she handed him the pack. He placed it on the side. Then he started patting himself, searching for something, pat on the shoulder, pat on the stomach, pat on the leg, pat on the …ah… there in the sleeve. Inuyasha pulled out a handkerchief and tore it into strips. He started wrapping her ankle applying the ice pack next to it so it would stay when it was wrapped. In the middle of his work he looked up at her and with an unusual softness in his voice he said, "It's okay… You can cry…"

Tears poured down Kagome's cheeks and she moaned, finally allowing herself to cry. "I-It hurts!!" she wailed.

"Course it hurts," he said slightly more rough, "you probably broke something'." Inuyasha paused for a minute, dropping his head and eyes back towards his work. "Gomen… if I hadn't given that crap about the bruise I got, none of this would've happened…"

"…I don't blame you."

Inuyasha looked back up at her. Her hands were folded in her lap. She had a blush across her cheeks and her eyes were sad.

"If I hadn't been so careless, this wouldn't have happened I probably shouldn't have taught you guys soccer in the first place."

"No!"

Kagome turned her head to face his bright golden eyes.

"No, don't say that. It was nice, 'cept for the part where Miroku smashed my balls…" he mumbled. He then said, with more intensity, "But all your games are good. All your foods are good. All your things from the future are good. Everything about you is good, ok?!?" He scowled.

Kagome smiled and blushed more.

Inuyasha continued wrapping her wounded ankle and his mind wandered to Naraku. They couldn't hunt for the Jewel Shards with Kagome not being able to walk or fight. By the time they could finish their quest, when Kagome's wound healed, Naraku might be a long way ahead.

"It's okay. We'll figure it out…"

Inuyasha snapped his head up at the girl, his eyes shining in wonder. Had he said that aloud? He didn't think so…

Kagome laughed. "I know your face well enough to know what you're thinking! We'll find a way to collect the Jewel Shards, just like we always do."

As she said this, Inuyasha finished wrapping her ankle up. He said, "There. You're good to go."

With those words, Kagome was reminded of that day she had run off alone with just her bike, because of a fight with Inuyasha and saw Kikyo standing by the Sacred Tree. When Kikyo left, Kagome had went over to the Tree and by accident, stabbed her finger on something in a shining hole in the Tree. Inuyasha, of course, had come, tore her favorite handkerchief, and wrapped her finger impatiently. He had done a good job, but Kagome knew his mind had been… elsewhere… (a.k.a. Kikyo). But when he had wrapped her ankle, there was so much care put in, making sure he wouldn't hurt her again in the process. His mind had been totally focused on her and her well-being. Kagome liked it when that happened; when his mind and eyes were solely on her. It made her feel like she was as important as Kikyo been in Inuyasha's eyes.

"You're nothing like Kikyo, so don't compare yourself to her," Inuyasha spoke, picking Kagome up again.

Now it was her turn to be amazed. "Huh?!?"

"I can read your face too…"

Kagome blushed again, and realized he was carrying her back to the Sacred Tree. "Inuyasha, why did you bring me to Kaede's hut in the first place if you were going to bring me right back?"

"Cause you need to cry." He paused, looking down on her. "I dunno… you looked like you were gonna break down crying. But I got the message that you didn't wanna cry in front of everyone.

"So, I took you to that separate room. Away from everyone, so I could wrap that up, people wouldn't bother you, making a fuss, and then I could let you cry." He paused again, and then mumbled, "It's hurts more if you don't cry about it…"

"…but why would you bring me in the first place? What's your reason?"

"…C-cause I care about you!" Inuyasha turned his red tinted face away, tearing their locked gazes.

"Thank you, Inuyasha…for everything," Kagome smiled to herself. Her heart was pounding so fast. It wasn't like he told her he loved her, but this was good enough. "…I care about you, too."

Inuyasha turned his face ever so slightly towards her, and gave her a tiny smile.

They arrived back on the field and Sango and Miroku ran over to them.

"Inuyasha, we've got a problem," Miroku said.

"What?"

Sango held up a deflated blue and white ball. "It died," Miroku said sadly.

"Oh…shoot! That was my only soccer ball!" Kagome sighed.

"Then we'll just use the runt." Inuyasha spoke.

Everyone turned, believing they hadn't heard clearly, "What?"

Inuyasha smirked, "I said let's be useful and use Shippo for the ball. He's small enough anyway…"

"GRAH!" A small brown fluff came out of nowhere and latched himself onto Inuyasha's leg. "Ooh, Inuyasha, I hate you!" Shippo said, biting into the leg like a piece of meat.

"GAH!" Inuyasha started kicking his leg up and down, swinging it from side to side, but the fox demon clung on tight. And he also managed to hold Kagome as well. After a good fight, Inuyasha stood on the bitten leg, and used his other one to kick Shippo's head. Shippo released Inuyasha and sat on the ground in a pout, a bruise forming on his forehead.

Out of the blue, Kagome started laughing. Just out of nowhere she had started to giggle and then laughed till her sides ached. Sango joined in with the laughter and Miroku too. Shippo started laughing and Inuyasha looked around, in a panic, at everyone around him, laughing their heads off.

He started chuckling, and spoke to Kagome in his arms, "Were…were we that funny?"

Unable to speak, Kagome nodded her head as tears dripped down her cheeks.

So Inuyasha started laughing hard, and everyone was tearing, and none of them knew why. It was something no one had done in a while, especially Inuyasha. Through the laughs and the giggles, Inuyasha looked at Kagome and Kagome looked at Inuyasha, both smiling.

Without warning, in unison, they both leaned in and let their lips meet for a split second. They blushed deeply at their actions, but when they realized that they both had been thinking the same thing at the exact same time, they started laughing again. And Sango, Miroku and Shippo laughed even harder, if that was possible, at the sight of the two.

After a couple of seconds of gaining some breath, Miroku said, "Heh, stop it you lovebirds!"

* * *

AHA! Finito! I was going for a romantic comedy, did i do it? Review please!!!


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